A 10-year transport plan, a new transport manager and a commitment to becoming carbon neutral are all part of a new working relationship between Waiheke Local Board and Auckland Transport.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Waiheke Local Board and Auckland Transport at the board’s monthly business meeting on May 23.
The aim is to deliver on the Waiheke community’s aspirations and values for its transport network.
The MoU commits the two organisations to work together and to extend the boundaries of the working relationship between AT and the board.
This relationship will be innovative and proactive and the two organisations will work together to address issues and advance projects.
All information that can be shared with the community will be jointly shared where appropriate.
The memorandum stipulates that AT and the board will work in good faith, take a no-surprises approach and keep each other informed.
Local board chair Cath Handley said the agreement took the relationship a long way forward. “There is a big agenda for us to fulfill. This work with AT, of which the MoU is part and the 10-year plan is also part, is the biggest step we have taken within the council’s governance pilot.”
Specifically, AT has agreed to create a local transport manager position to work with the board on transport decisions and to develop a ten-year transport plan for Waiheke.
It will also support the board on the community’s aspiration to be carbon neutral and to electrify the public transport network and infrastructure.
AT chief executive Shane Ellison said the agreement was not just pretty words on a page. “This agreement is also founded in some very real actions and projects.”
He thanked the board for their leadership and their commitment to developing a much deeper and more meaningful relationship with AT.
“That has manifested itself in an MoU, which is the first of its kind in Auckland. It is a milestone not only for AT and the island, but I hope it is a partnership model that could be rolled out across the region.”
AT will also support the board in lowering speeds on the island’s roads and developing infrastructure for walking and cycling.
Waiheke has a particular character and its community has a particular vision for its transport network, the board said.
AT has agreed to work with this unique character and do its best to deliver on the community’s needs and aspirations as long as they fit within its remit, have policy backing and can be funded.
The agreement is enduring and will be reviewed shortly after the start of each new board term.
